I apologize for my lack of
communication over the past week. School has begun to finally take over our
lives and I have come down with a cold, so I try to sleep it off as much as I can.
We are slowly getting into a routine but it’s not exactly easy. We have class Monday-Thursday and then we travel Thursday night to Sunday night. We love traveling but we have found that shoving classes and homework into four days is not exactly easy. Needless to say, we are all getting a little bit stressed out.
But amidst the stress and sometimes overwhelming feelings, the past three weeks I have found myself confidently at peace. For about the last two years I have been in a season of uncertainty after my confidence in others and myself was shattered. (That’s a story for another time). I knew was that God was good and He is good, but beyond that I was never sure of myself. I wasn’t sure what I should be feeling, what I should be doing, or where in life I should be. But, here, I am confident that the Lord has immense purpose for this trip and for my life. A friend of mine texted me to let me know that she missed me and wished we could see each other, but she also reminded me that the Lord has us apart and in separate seasons for a reason… such a good reminder… the Lord always knows best.
That’s another thing about traveling here and being in Europe. I am constantly overwhelmed with the magnitude of the world and the vast majority of people. There are 7.1 BILLION people on this earth at this moment. And the Lord has a purpose and a plan for every single one… how crazy is that?
I could talk about what I have learned about the Lord and about myself from being here in Europe for hours… but, for now what I’ve said will suffice.
So, I will FINALLY share pictures from our latest weekend trip.
This past weekend, four friends and myself went to Zagreb, Croatia. We ended up going here because it was a cheaper trip and it was somewhat close- about a five-hour bus ride. We were pleasantly surprised with what we found when we showed up.
Well, first we got lost for two hours. We had to walk from the bus stop to our hostel, and we got a little turned around. So we wandered. And learned how to ask for directions. And what not to do in the future.
Needless to say, our first impression was not all that impressive. But, after we dropped our backpacks off we set out to explore the city and immediately fell in love. The city is different than Vienna in that it has a small town feel and there are very few tourists. In Vienna, almost everyone can speak English (or everyone that we need to talk to.) In Zagreb, very few people spoke English—but that makes it more of an adventure- right?
The nightlife in Zagreb was very lively, cafes are open really late and young people are always out walking around. So, we would grab dinner somewhere, go to the Cookie Factory (a delicious little restaurant with warm cookies and brownies- only in Croatia) and then explore as much of the city as we could.
We were there during what we think was a festival of some sort, so every night there was a concert in the town square. We would just sit and listen to the traditional music and watch old people dance.
During the day we walked to churches and to other touristy attractions (pictures below.)
Zagreb is by far my favorite city.
Leaving was bittersweet. We have begun seeing Vienna as ‘home’, so we were ready to get home but not leave such a beautiful quaint little town. If you ever get a chance to go—go!
Tomorrow we head to Budapest, Hungary.
Prayers are still greatly appreciated!
Love you all,
Sarah
If you feel the need to send me a letter or package, my address is:
Sarah Rooker
Kandlgasse 30
TOP 111/11070
Wien, AUSTRIA
We are slowly getting into a routine but it’s not exactly easy. We have class Monday-Thursday and then we travel Thursday night to Sunday night. We love traveling but we have found that shoving classes and homework into four days is not exactly easy. Needless to say, we are all getting a little bit stressed out.
But amidst the stress and sometimes overwhelming feelings, the past three weeks I have found myself confidently at peace. For about the last two years I have been in a season of uncertainty after my confidence in others and myself was shattered. (That’s a story for another time). I knew was that God was good and He is good, but beyond that I was never sure of myself. I wasn’t sure what I should be feeling, what I should be doing, or where in life I should be. But, here, I am confident that the Lord has immense purpose for this trip and for my life. A friend of mine texted me to let me know that she missed me and wished we could see each other, but she also reminded me that the Lord has us apart and in separate seasons for a reason… such a good reminder… the Lord always knows best.
That’s another thing about traveling here and being in Europe. I am constantly overwhelmed with the magnitude of the world and the vast majority of people. There are 7.1 BILLION people on this earth at this moment. And the Lord has a purpose and a plan for every single one… how crazy is that?
I could talk about what I have learned about the Lord and about myself from being here in Europe for hours… but, for now what I’ve said will suffice.
So, I will FINALLY share pictures from our latest weekend trip.
This past weekend, four friends and myself went to Zagreb, Croatia. We ended up going here because it was a cheaper trip and it was somewhat close- about a five-hour bus ride. We were pleasantly surprised with what we found when we showed up.
Well, first we got lost for two hours. We had to walk from the bus stop to our hostel, and we got a little turned around. So we wandered. And learned how to ask for directions. And what not to do in the future.
Needless to say, our first impression was not all that impressive. But, after we dropped our backpacks off we set out to explore the city and immediately fell in love. The city is different than Vienna in that it has a small town feel and there are very few tourists. In Vienna, almost everyone can speak English (or everyone that we need to talk to.) In Zagreb, very few people spoke English—but that makes it more of an adventure- right?
The nightlife in Zagreb was very lively, cafes are open really late and young people are always out walking around. So, we would grab dinner somewhere, go to the Cookie Factory (a delicious little restaurant with warm cookies and brownies- only in Croatia) and then explore as much of the city as we could.
We were there during what we think was a festival of some sort, so every night there was a concert in the town square. We would just sit and listen to the traditional music and watch old people dance.
During the day we walked to churches and to other touristy attractions (pictures below.)
Zagreb is by far my favorite city.
Leaving was bittersweet. We have begun seeing Vienna as ‘home’, so we were ready to get home but not leave such a beautiful quaint little town. If you ever get a chance to go—go!
Tomorrow we head to Budapest, Hungary.
Prayers are still greatly appreciated!
Love you all,
Sarah
If you feel the need to send me a letter or package, my address is:
Sarah Rooker
Kandlgasse 30
TOP 111/11070
Wien, AUSTRIA
Here are a couple of pictures that I took in Vienna. (Also, if you click on the pictures, you can viethem bigger and go through a slideshow of sorts.)
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| Schonbrunn Palace |
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| A rainbow after a short rain storm. Thankful for the physical reminder of God's promises! |
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| We went to an amusement park in Vienna that's open 24/7 with a very old ferris wheel. |
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| The tallest swings in Europe-- we went up them and it was BEAUTIFUL. I conquered my fear of heights and I'm so glad I did! |
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| Our favorite desert in Vienna- Tichy Eis. It takes about 30 minutes to get there but it's so worth it! We go almost every night because it closes for the season this Sunday. :( |
These pictures are from Zagreb, Croatia!
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| They gave us ICE!! Restaurants in Europe don't believe in Ice or Free refills so we were excited when this little restaurant gave us a few ice cubes. |
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| The view from our Hostel. |
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| Our hostel room- all to ourselves! |
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| The town square with a market and concerts. |
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| The churches in Europe are all gorgeous and breathtaking. |
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| Some years ago, Zagreb suffered an earthquake. This was the clock that was on the church at the time-- it stopped and they hung it up here. |
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| Zagreb night-life! |
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| The Cookie Factory with my roomie! |
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| A headlight is a NECESSITY while traveling-- how else can I journal? |
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| So thankful for these friends and travel buddies. |
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| A taste of home! |
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| Looking for treasures! |
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| Went to mass here! We were once told that the Catholic church builds its buildings so magnificently so that the people are forced to look up at the beauty... and subsequently feel small and awed. We were also told that during Mass they try to evoke all senses- including vision and smells. |
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| A little ally behind the church-- we wondered if the nuns lived here. I wouldn't mind being a nun in Zagreb! |
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| The market on Saturday with lots of fresh food. |
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| A view of the city of Zagreb. |
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| The Cookie Factory Round Two. |
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| We love little surprises. Like we were waiting for the bathroom and this parade came by... it's not everyday that you see militia looking men on horses ride through town. |
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| We toured some BEAUTIFUL botanical gardens. Probably one of my favorite parts. While we were here I was taking a million pictures and this older man struck up a conversation with me about the flowers. He told me that he lived in Zagreb and asked what I was doing here-- interacting with locals are some of my favorite experiences! |
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